The project will design and implement a new anti-bullying programme in schools from 5 EU countries. It draws on the experience of existing programmes and practices originated by the project partners in different cultural contexts and will provide further evidence of effective approaches to the reduction of bullying in schools that will inform the development of improved child centred, whole school strategies for adoption at European level.

The project will build on and combine the strengths of the each of the partners previous experiences and, together with recent innovative developments in solution focused, learning behaviour methodology and strategy, it will result in a coordinated range of leadership training materials applying a child centred, whole school approach to the effective reduction of bullying in schools. The project will develop an on-line school review instrument for the monitoring of bullying and the evaluation of the effectiveness of the school organisation for the reduction of bullying. This review instrument will be used for the thorough evaluation of the programme and as an ongoing tool for schools to use in the school improvement cycle.

The project support the duty of all European Union countries to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as developed in 2006 into the European Convention on the Rights of the Child to which they are all signatories. This convention enshrines the rights of all children to a secure and safe education free from danger and fear.

By building on existing good practice and applying it to specific programmes to reduce bullying in schools in 5 countries and then widely disseminating the results and successful experience, the programme will further expand the knowledge and understanding across Europe of practical and successful solutions at grass roots level to one of the major causes of damage to children’s education and infringement of their rights under the European and UN convention.

To the benefit of children & young people throughout Europe, the project partners guarantee open access to all the outcomes/products of the project. For example the website will be linked to all major EU supported sites. To ensure it is user friendly it will include the comments and experiences of all the stakeholders and particularly children, in order to encourage interest and use by beneficiaries outside the partnership, in different context and cultures (a major element in terms of sustainability). The material online will be in English allowing a broad dissemination. Moreover, each partners’ network will disseminate the results and the products amongst their EU contacts and existing networks of which they are members. Presentations will be made and papers will be presented at conferences and through journals and through networks such as the European Observatory for Violence in Schools, The European Anti-Bullying Network, European School Headteacher Association (ESHA), European Council and National Association of Independent Schools (ECNAIS), The European network of children’s ombudspersons (ENOC). Memoranda of understanding will be signed by new users before the end of the project as a commitment for adopting the programme.